Preface

Wrong-shaped soldiers

Afghanistan [MARINE TRAINING]

US soldiers and marines are known for working hard on their biceps and six-packs. But apparently all that effort has been in vain (except perhaps when strutting their stuff on the beach). The muscles they have been growing are not the right ones.

What they really need in today’s battlefields “isn’t big arms”, says George Solhan, a senior director at the Office of Naval Research’s (ONR) Expeditionary Manoeuvre Warfare and Combating Terrorism department. The “core” muscles around the hips and back are…

Japan’s territorial waters are vast and volatile, home to some of the most disputed islands in east asia. the Japan coast guard is tasked with policing the area. Monocle climbed aboard to see how they do it.

On deployment far from its home port of San Diego, the diminutive USS Freedom carries far greater weight than its size suggests: as the apex of US naval technology, its success or failure will decide the future of American…

Manufacturers of equipment used by Nato forces have experienced a surge in demand and profits since the September 11 attacks. We look at what a German soldier in Afghanistan is given as standard kit, from high-tech night…

The sheer breadth of countries covered by the defence-themed analyses in this issue illustrates the dizzying scale of modern-day conflicts. Some are in full flow, others are receding and many are threatened; all require our…

The new hi-tech armoured vehicles destined for US and UK troops in Afghanistan and a new mine-resistant jacket from a Columbian bullet-proof clothing maker. Plus, why back problems are adding to the hardship of life in…

New York’s JFK terminal 3 is bulking up on security equipment to fight terrorism – and catch people who forgot to throw away their water bottle. And it’s not the only airport doing so – providers of this technology are…